Qatar response to demands negative - Arab states

They issued 13 demands to Qatar that they said must be met to lift their blockade of the country, including the disbanding of the news channel Al Jazeera.

Qatar rejected the demands which include stopping support to groups like Muslim Brotherhood, closing Turkish military base in Qatar, and closing news organizations that include internationally acclaimed Al Jazeera.

Qatar announced plans for a steep rise in Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) output capacity, indicating that it is bracing for a protracted dispute with Gulf neighbors even as it said it is doing all it can to reach an agreement and end the crisis.

Qatar's foreign minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani.

The four countries "express their sorrow for Qatar's negative response which showed its negligence and lack of seriousness in dealing with the roots of the problem", Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukri said, reading their joint statement.

He also described Doha's response as a "position that reflects a failure to realize the gravity of the situation".

The Saudi foreign minister, Adel Al Jubeir, said they will continue "these very unfortunate measures" against Qatar.

"We have absolutely no fear of having the embargo in place", he said. That is why Qatar enjoys strong support of Turkey, the most powerful North Atlantic Treaty Organisation country in the region.

"We hope wisdom will prevail and Qatar will eventually make the right decisions", added Shukri, who said the four nations were acting against Qatar within the boundaries of worldwide law, as well as the interest to safeguard regional and global security.

One of the major points of friction between the two sides is the allegation that Qatar is "supporting terrorism".

The Saudi-led group announced no new sanctions but indicated that Qatar could be expelled from the Gulf Cooperation Council.

"I know that this message will not be well received in some of our neighbouring capitals, but there are serious problems in the Middle East region, and silencing Qatar will not solve them", Sheikh Mohammed said at Chatham House in London. "We are states of sovereignty, and we have the right to take any measures in line with worldwide law", the Saudi Foreign Minister elaborated.

5 June: A number of Arab countries including Saudi Arabia and Egypt cut diplomatic ties with Qatar, accusing it of destabilising the region.

His Qatari counterpart wondered why "Qatar's independence" poses "such a threat" to Saudi Arabia and its allies as he accused them of "intellectual terrorism". "The matter is not related only to the sovereignty of Qatar", Gabriel said.

Only days after US President Donald Trump had visited Saudi Arabia, Qatar was handed a list of demands that looked more like a punishment for its wrong policy than a way to solve problems.